City of Kalamazoo shuts down haunted house attraction Phobia House over fire-safety concerns

View full sizeScott Harmsen | Kalamazoo GazetteThe Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety has closed Phobia House, a haunted house on Portage Street, because it lacks a sprinkler and audible alarm system in case of a fire.

KALAMAZOO — A popular haunted house near downtown Kalamazoo has been ordered to close by Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officials who say its operators have not made necessary enhancements to improve safety in case of a fire.

It is not clear at this point whether it will reopen this year.

Public Safety Assistant Chief Brian Uridge said Tony Gerard, the owner of Phobia House on Portage Street, was told by City Fire Marshal Jim Williams during an inspection in 2009 that the facility needed overhead sprinkler and audible alarm systems to comply with state fire codes.

Uridge said the inspection was prompted by a complaint KDPS receieved in October 2009 from a patron of the haunted who was concerned and reported seeing combustible materials in the facility and “extensive use” of extension cords. Uridge said Gerard remedied the violations authorities found during the inspection, except for the installation of the sprinkler and alarm systems.

“We definitely want them to succeed,” Uridge said. “It’s an excellent attraction but we have to make sure that they adhere to the state fire safety requirements and that it’s a safe environment for people to go into.”

Gerard, who said he was told by Williams on Oct. 2 to shut the haunted house down, attributed the entire situation to a “major miscommunication” between Williams and himself.

He said based on conversations he and Williams had during the 2009 inspection, he made safety enhancements, including additional fire extinguishers, additional exits and the removal of extension cords, to the facility last year.

He said he believed that with those enhancements in place, the haunted house did not have to have an overhead sprinkling system in place this year to open its doors.

As for the sprinkler sytem, Gerard said he has purchased sprinkler heads for it but lacks the funds, as of now, to purchase piping and to pay for installation.

“I'm not contesting that Mr. Williams said we needed a sprinkler system,” Gerard said. “He didn’t make it clear to us that the fire extinguishers from last year wouldn't carry over to this year.”

Gerard said, as of Wednesday morning, he does not know if Phobia House will be open for business this year.